Our diet can affect our health a lot. Nowadays, most of us don’t realize what harm we are causing to our bodies by not maintaining a proper diet. Losing weight can be challenging, but we can gradually maintain our weight by choosing an appropriate diet. One of the most popular diets is the Mediterranean diet, followed by people of Italy, Greece, and Spain back in the 1960s. Research shows that the Mediterranean people were much healthier and had a longer life span than the Americans. People still follow their food habits to keep their health on track.
What is the Mediterranean diet?
This diet does not follow any specific pattern as different Mediterranean people had different kinds of diets. The basic concept used in this diet is eating healthy food like vegetables and fruits and giving up unhealthy food like saturated fats and carbohydrates.
What to eat while we are in the Mediterranean diet:
1)Seafood: Fishes and other seafood have a very high nutritious content. These contain a large number of vitamins and minerals which have numerous advantages. Sea food helps to keep our skin and eyesight better and can also reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
2)Fruits: Fruits contain a high level of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibers. They also help produce antioxidants in the body, which helps us fight against diseases and stay healthy. Fruits have a shallow fat content, so they will not increase our mass. Fruits will also protect us from heart diseases, cancer, and many other diseases while enjoying a flavourful taste.
3)Vegetables: They contain a high level of potassium, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Consuming vegetables regularly has many advantages, like keeping our mass within range and protecting us from diseases of the heart, cancer, and stroke. They also keep us healthy and make our bodies resistant to harmful germs.
4)Nuts: Nuts are something we all love to eat. Nuts not only have a great taste, but they also cause great benefits to our body. They have a high content of nutrients, vitamins, and proteins. They contain many antioxidants and reduces cholesterol levels, which will decrease the risk of CVD. Nuts can fill our stomachs while we are hungry and will also make our brains sharper.
What to avoid eating while we are on the Mediterranean diet:
1)Added sugar food: Soft drinks, candies, ice cream, which contains a high level of sugar, can cause significant harm to our body. They will increase our weight and will also increase the risk of having CVD. They can also cause type 2 diabetes which can cause great trouble in the future. The extra sugar in the diet will be transferred to fat and make us overweight, leading to obesity.
2)Red meat: Too much red meat can increase our cholesterol level, leading to blockage in the heart. So we should eat red meat only on special occasions, to reduce our chance of not getting fat.
3)Eggs: Eggs contain a high protein level and can help induce our body’s growth. But eggs also have a high level of cholesterol which is very harmful to our body. High cholesterol can increase our blood pressure which can eventually lead to a heart attack. So we should eat eggs but not more than one in a day.
Advantages of the Mediterranean diet: Mediterranean diet will keep our body fit and energetic. The Mediterranean lifestyle also includes doing regular exercises, which will make our muscles stronger. This diet will protect us from having harmful diseases in the future, hence helping us to live a longer and healthier life.
